Barmah Brumbies

by Soraya Nicholas

  They hurried off toward the showjumping ring. Volunteers had already begun to disassemble the jump stands and candy-striped poles, and as the girls stopped behind the rest of the crowd a loudspeaker crackled.

  Chills tingled through Poppy and she was relieved when Aunt Sophie appeared in the crowd and made her way back to them.

  ‘We’ll start by announcing sixth place, which goes to . . . Amelia Walker!’

  Poppy slapped Milly on the back as she leapt forward, beaming, to go and collect her ribbon. The announcer announced fifth place, and then fourth, and Katie grabbed Poppy’s hand, her fingers digging in tight. Surely they were going to place? Did she actually have a chance of winning?

  ‘In third place we have Katie Richards!’

  Katie let out a little squeal of delight as she rushed forward. It was just Aunt Sophie and Crystal standing with her now, and Sophie’s hand brushed her shoulder before she took the reins from her.

  ‘I’m so proud of you, Pops,’ Aunt Sophie whispered. ‘You and Crystal are showing the signs of being amazing competitors.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she whispered back, ready to burst from the praise and the excitement of it all.

  Poppy held her breath, unable to push it out. Would she get second place? They’d ridden so well, and if Katie had made third place then . . .

  ‘Second place goes to Lily McBreen!’

  She didn’t get it. Her heart sunk. Maybe her morning dressage hadn’t been good enough? Maybe it was stupid to think she’d done so well? She wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

  ‘And, finally, first place goes to Poppy Brown riding Starlight Crystal!’

  Poppy froze. First place? She’d actually won first place?!

  ‘Poppy, go!’ Aunt Sophie urged.

  Poppy stumbled forward. She’d done it. She’d made Aunt Sophie proud. Starlight Stables had taken out three of the six ribbons, and moving up a grade would take her one step closer to her dream of being in the Australian junior rider squad when she was older. She couldn’t stop grinning.

  Poppy sat on the grass with Crystal’s head cradled in her lap. She’d been sitting there for ages, but she didn’t dare move. Her pony made a soft snorting noise and she stroked her face, smoothing down her forelock and then running her fingertips across her cheek. She wished Aunt Sophie could see this special moment, could see how trusting Crystal was with her as she slept.

  ‘We’re going on an adventure soon,’ she whispered to Crystal, trying to wiggle her toes. Her legs were starting to feel numb from having her horse’s heavy head on her for so long, but she didn’t care. It had been two weeks since they’d won the event, and she’d missed being with Crystal – she’d had to stay in town for a school fundraiser the weekend before. ‘We’re going to camp out and go on trail rides and look for wild horses! Only seven more sleeps to go!’

  Her excited mutterings made Crystal’s ears prick, and when the pony lifted her head and looked at her, Poppy smiled. She knew that Crystal couldn’t understand her words, but sometimes Poppy wondered if her pony knew more than she realised.

  ‘Hello, sleepyhead,’ Poppy said, scooting back on her bottom as Crystal stretched out her front legs. She stood, waiting until Crystal finished stretching, and then she climbed onto her back. As Crystal stood, Poppy carefully balanced, laughing at the funny sensation of Crystal rising. Then she did a big full body shake and Poppy grasped her mane tight as she shook from side to side. ‘Guess that serves me right for making you stand up with me on your back,’ she muttered, touching her legs to Crystal’s sides and guiding her forward. They had an amazing bond now, and being able to ride her bareback and tell her where to go with just her legs felt incredible.

  ‘Don’t go worrying about me choosing Storm over you, either,’ she continued to chat to Crystal, one hand resting on her wither, the other on her own thigh. ‘I think Aunt Sophie will ride him when we go to Barmah. I want to have fun with you.’

  Poppy hated being torn between the two horses, because she loved them both. But Crystal was her riding horse, the pony of her dreams, and they were a team. Storm was amazing, but he was still too much of a handful for Poppy to ride on her own, and she didn’t have the same super-close bond with him yet. Plus Aunt Sophie would be able to deal with any naughty antics, especially if he freaked out at being back in his home forest.

  ‘Poppy, where’s your helmet?’ Aunt Sophie called out.

  Poppy quietly said ‘whoa’ to Crystal and slipped to the ground. She braved a smile and met Sophie’s gaze. How had she not seen her aunt standing there, leaning on the gate, with Crystal’s halter and rope slung over her shoulder?

  ‘Sorry. I didn’t actually plan on riding her,’ Poppy mumbled.

  ‘I saw you wriggle up on her when I came along,’ Sophie said, her brows raised. ‘I’ll spare you a telling off this time, but only because I’m so proud of the way you two have clicked as a team lately. And while I’m on that topic, your riding at the last event was amazing. I can’t see any reason why you and Crystal can’t move up to pre-novice next season, Pops.’

  Poppy stared at her, stunned. She was moving up!

  ‘Thanks, Aunt Sophie,’ she stammered finally. Then she started to laugh, clamping a hand over her mouth to try and stop herself. ‘Sorry, but I just can’t believe it. I’m so excited!’

  ‘So you should be! You’ve done great and you deserve it.’

  Sophie was holding Crystal’s halter and Poppy took it from her and put it on Crystal, working the buckles quickly and then picking up the end of the lead rope that had already been clipped on.

  ‘So, tell me, am I still allowed to take your Storm on this trail ride?’ Aunt Sophie asked, holding the gate open for her so she could lead Crystal through.

  ‘Of course!’ Poppy replied. ‘I’d love him to go back to the place he came from.’

  ‘Good, because I’m looking forward to doing some more work with him,’ Aunt Sophie said. ‘And it’ll be good for him to be ridden out in a group like that. He’s been coming along nicely these last few weeks.’

  Poppy hadn’t seen Sophie working Storm yet under saddle, but she was looking forward to watching how well he was doing.

  ‘Aunt Sophie, I know he’s really young and inexperienced, but . . .’ Poppy gulped, finding it hard to say the words.

  ‘Spit it out, Pops.’

  ‘I just, well, I’d love to ride him when you think he’s ready and I’m ready and . . .’

  ‘That’s what you were spluttering about? Wanting to ask if you could ride your own horse?’

  Poppy shrugged, feeling silly. ‘Yes.’ Secretly she was worried he’d start thinking Aunt Sophie was his rider. Even though she spent heaps of time with him, her aunt had been the one training him and riding him while she was at school. She wanted to make sure they had a special bond, just like she did with Crystal.

  Aunt Sophie laughed as they walked together toward the stables, Crystal between them. ‘I’d love you to ride him. How about we go catch him and have a quick lesson before your friends arrive? There’s no better day to start than today.’

  Poppy beamed back at her aunt, holding in a squeal of excitement. Just when she’d thought her morning couldn’t get any better . . .

  Poppy ran the brush over Storm’s dark, almost black coat. He quivered when she pushed past the groove at his flank and she placed her other hand on his back to steady him.

  ‘It’s okay,’ she said in a low voice. ‘You’re just fine.’

  He bent around and nuzzled her bottom and she laughed as his top lip hardened. She knew exactly what he wanted. Poppy scratched him on his back, moving her fingers until she found the spot he liked. She giggled as he frantically tried to scratch her back, his top lip moving back and forth against her jodhpurs.

  ‘Thanks,’ she muttered, trying to move away from him but not succeeding. He was desperate to scratch her in return and he wasn’t taking no for an answer!

  ‘What’s going on in there?’

 
Aunt Sophie’s head popped over the stall door and Poppy stopped scratching Storm.

  ‘He thinks I’m a horse and he wants to scratch with me,’ she said. ‘It’s so crazy that I can trust him like this now. A month ago I’d have thought he was going to take a bite out of my butt!’

  Sophie smiled and stepped into the stall to brush Storm’s face. ‘He’s turned out to be a really lovely horse, Pops,’ she said. ‘You had good instincts when you bought him.’

  Poppy shook her head, embarrassed. ‘No, I didn’t. I just felt really sorry for him when I saw him in those awful auction yards.’

  But she had seen something else, a spark of something special, a determination in his eyes that told her he deserved to live.

  Sophie touched her arm. ‘He’s a good horse, Poppy. There’s a reason you fell in love with him, I think.’

  Poppy finished brushing his body and took the saddle down from the door where it had been resting.

  ‘Go more slowly with him than you do with Crystal,’ Aunt Sophie said. ‘He’s doing well, but he’s still very green, and that means we need to make our movements slow and steady, especially when we’re doing his girth or asking him to open his mouth for the bit.’

  Poppy did as she was told, easing the saddle on and being careful to check it was sitting properly before tightening the girth. She made it firm enough to hold the saddle, but it would need to go up a notch or two before she rode him.

  Her aunt stood back as she coaxed the bit into his mouth with ease and did up the throat lash and then the noseband.

  ‘Good boy,’ Poppy murmured softly. She turned to look at Aunt Sophie. ‘What next?’

  ‘Now I’ll lead him out while you put your helmet on,’ she said. ‘And then you’re up.’

  Goose pimples prickled across Poppy’s arms. She’d sat on him bareback, and walked around, but to actually ride him properly? She shivered. It was scary but exciting at the same time.

  She reached for her helmet where she’d left it outside the stable and put it on, checking it was firm. The last thing she wanted to do was muck anything up when it came to Storm – she wanted him to love her as much as she already loved him.

  ‘Up you get,’ Aunt Sophie said, placing Storm’s reins over his head and keeping hold of him.

  Poppy took a deep breath and gave him a pat before checking his girth.

  ‘Just mount like normal. It’s good to land nice and softly in the saddle.’

  Poppy placed her foot in the stirrup iron and pushed up, landing with a gentle thud and taking up her reins. Her heart was banging away in her chest, but she braved a smile at Aunt Sophie.

  ‘Ready?’ Sophie asked.

  ‘Yup. Ready,’ Poppy replied. ‘Do I just ask him to walk out like I do with Crystal?’

  ‘Absolutely. Just don’t ask too much, and keep a firm but gentle contact with his mouth.’ Aunt Sophie placed a hand on her leg. ‘And I’m here with you every step of the way, so you don’t have to be nervous.’

  Poppy nodded and looked ahead as they walked out into the sun. Storm tossed his head and fidgeted nervously. He felt different beneath her, his strides slightly longer than Crystal’s, his head held high as he stepped out. Both horses were a similar size, so it was weird how different they felt.

  ‘You’re doing great,’ Aunt Sophie said as they neared the arena. ‘I’m going to stand in the middle, just like I usually do during a lesson. You can walk him around a bit, then when you feel ready, ask him to trot.’

  Poppy smiled to herself as they walked around. She could hardly believe she was up on Storm! Only two months ago he’d been almost completely wild and terrified of humans. Now, he was behaving like any other well-trained young horse.

  After walking for a while, she nudged her legs to his sides and clucked him on. ‘Trot on,’ she asked.

  He burst into a fast, bouncy trot, and Poppy focused on rising and falling in the saddle, doing her best to settle him. She glanced over at her aunt and received a smile in return, so she figured she was doing okay.

  When Poppy decided to change the rein, going in the opposite direction to what she was going in, she crossed through the centre of the arena. As they were turning back onto the track she pressed her legs to his sides, wanting to keep the momentum going, but Storm confused her nudge and cantered.

  ‘Just trotting,’ Poppy murmured to him, trying to pull him back gently into a trot, but Storm had other ideas. He let loose a buck, his back legs kicking up and out in a motion so fast it almost unseated Poppy. ‘Hey!’ she scolded. ‘That’s enough!’

  Storm slowed and trotted again, but he was tossing his head now and Poppy was finding him harder to control. When she demanded that he walk and then halt, he pawed at the ground and started to walk backwards, making a fuss. She had no idea what to do.

  ‘Um, Sophie?’ she asked, trying to keep the waver out of her voice.

  ‘You’re fine. Just make him walk on. Don’t stop. Keep him moving forward.’

  ‘But I want to stop!’ Poppy pleaded, panic rising in her chest. She felt like she was going to suffocate. Why wouldn’t he stop? Why was he being so silly?

  ‘Ask him to walk on, get him thinking. You can’t let him behave like that,’ Aunt Sophie said. ‘If you get off now, he’ll think he’s won and that he’s the one in charge. This isn’t like him, but he’s testing you. All young horses do it every now and again.’

  Poppy listened to her aunt and knew that what she said was true. She squared her shoulders. She could do this. Storm was her horse and she was the boss. She breathed deep, refusing to let him rattle her.

  ‘Walk on,’ she demanded, her voice firm as she coaxed him forward. ‘Good boy.’ She quickly praised him when he did what was asked.

  Storm snorted but he walked forward, and when she asked him to trot, he did that, too. Poppy rode him around, doing figure of eights and changing direction through the centre of the arena before finally asking him to walk again. This time, he listened, even when she gave the command to halt.

  As soon as he was perfectly still, she patted his neck and briskly dismounted. She’d done what Aunt Sophie had asked her to do, acting way more brave than she’d actually felt, but now she was ready to get off. And fast.

  ‘Well done,’ Aunt Sophie said. ‘He was testing you and you showed him exactly who was in charge.’

  ‘I didn’t know what to do,’ Poppy admitted. ‘I . . .’ Her voice went wobbly and she couldn’t stop it.

  Aunt Sophie took the reins from her shaking hands. ‘That’s why you’re riding him with me nearby. It’s only a disaster if you’re on your own and don’t know how to react. Pops, you did great, and because you handled it so well it’s unlikely he’ll bother trying those kind of tricks on you again. It was just bad luck he tried it on your first proper ride together!’

  Poppy smiled. She was just relieved it was over! Crystal could be a handful sometimes and often felt explosive beneath her, but in a safe way. She was just excitable. Storm was a young horse playing up, whereas Crystal would never try to throw her off or hurt her intentionally. Poppy was relieved her aunt would be riding him at Barmah, because if he freaked out there, she wouldn’t have a clue what to do!

  ‘Give him some time,’ Aunt Sophie said, as if she’d known exactly what Poppy was thinking. ‘Before you know it he’ll be just like Crystal and all the other horses you’ve ridden. Young horses take a lot of training and a lot of patience. Especially wild ones.’ She laughed.

  ‘Now go and join your friends. Milly looks like she’s about to die of boredom waiting over there!’

  Poppy looked over her shoulder and saw her friends watching from the other side of the arena. She’d been so focused on Storm that she hadn’t even noticed them. She held up her hand in a wave. ‘Want me to take Storm back first?’ Poppy asked, turning back to Aunt Sophie.

  She shook her head. ‘I’m going to do a little more work with him. Go see your friends and be saddled up in an hour for your group lesson.’

&
nbsp; Poppy stepped back and gave Storm a quick pat before running over to Milly and Katie.

  ‘Hey,’ she said, slinging an arm around each of them.

  ‘Were you scared riding him?’ Katie asked as they walked down to where Cody and Joe were grazing. They automatically headed straight there whenever they arrived.

  ‘Um, well, maybe just a little.’

  ‘Liar!’ Milly teased. ‘You were absolutely terrified up there. I saw your face.’

  Poppy giggled. ‘Okay, so I was scared. He felt really tight beneath me and all coiled up, and when I couldn’t make him stand still, I totally freaked.’

  Milly sighed. ‘You do realise you were nuts to take on a brumby, right?’

  ‘You do realise we’re nuts to be friends with you, but we are anyway, right?’ Poppy teased straight back.

  ‘So are we going practice camping tonight?’ Milly asked impatiently, lead rope over her shoulder as she swung the end of it. ‘I brought all my stuff!’

  Poppy felt her smile drop. They’d been texting each other since the event about doing a camp-out tonight, and Katie had messaged them a huge list of what they needed to bring for it, even though they were only going for one night. But in all the excitement of riding Storm she’d totally forgotten to ask Aunt Sophie if they could do it!

  ‘Poppy!’ Katie scolded, seeing her face. ‘You promised!’ She opened the gate and marched off to catch Cody.

  ‘Please, Poppy,’ Milly begged, hands pressed together in front of her like she was praying. ‘It’ll be so much fun – we have to go.’

  Poppy smiled. ‘So long as it’s more fun than the time we snuck off to look for those stolen horses.’

  ‘Hey, that time we were sneaking. This time, we won’t be getting into any trouble.’

  Poppy watched as Milly raced off, leaping over the fence, her curls bouncing as she ran. That was half the problem, she thought. Whenever Milly suggested anything, it always ended up being trouble.